LESSON OF THE DAY 187

Ayahs of the Day:
A Book has been sent down to you, so do not let your heart feel it is under any constraint because of it, so you may warn by means of it; (it is) a Reminder for believers.Follow whatever has been sent down to you by your Lord and do not follow any sponsors besides Him; yet how seldom do you remember! [7: 2, 3]

Hadith of the Day:
All of a Muslim is inviolable to every other Muslim, with respect to his blood, wealth and honor. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The weapon of the wicked is corrupt speech. [Ali Zain al Abidin]

Guidance of the Day:
Certainty also derives its power by learning from looking at the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and the wondrous and astounding creatures that God made them teem with. The third is to behave according to what one behaves outwardly and inwardly, zealously, and to the limits of one's resources.

Proper certainty results in, among other things, acquiescence in God's promise, confidence in what He has guaranteed, turning to God with pure longing, abandoning all things which distract from Him, continuously returning to Him in all circumstances, and spending all one's energy in seeking His good pleasure.

In sum, certainty is the essential thing, and all other noble ranks, praiseworthy traits of character and good works are its branches and results. Virtues and actions are strong and weak, sound and unsound, according to the strength or otherwise of certainty. Luqman, (upon him be peace), said:"Action is possible only in the presence of certainty; a servant acts in obedience only to the extent that he has certainty, and a man becomes neglectful in his actions only when his certainty diminishes." [The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:
Everything the hearts find of worries and sadness is because of what they lack of closeness and intimacy with God.

LESSON OF THE DAY 186

Ayah of the Day:
It is He Who has made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth; He has raised you in ranks, some above others; that He may try you in the gifts He has given you: For your Lord is quick in punishment; yet He is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [6: 165]

Hadith of the Day:
Charity does not in any way decrease wealth. Spend, and you shall be spend upon. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
God has concealed three within three: He has concealed His good pleasure in His obedience; therefore despise no act of obedience lest His good pleasure be within it. And He has concealed His abhorrence in acts of rebellion against Him; therefore underestimate no act of rebellion lest His abhorrence be therein. And He has concealed His friends in His creation, therefore despise none of His creatures, for he may be a Friend of God. [Ali Zain al Abidin]

Guidance of the Day:
Strengthen and improve your certainty. For when certainty prevails in the heart and establishes itself therein the unseen becomes as if seen. Certainty is power, firmness and stability of faith so great that it becomes as a towering mountain which no doubts can shake and no illusions rock. Rather doubts and illusions disappear completely, and when they come from outside are neither listened to by the ear nor heeded by the heart. The Devil does not approach the possessor of such certainty.

Certainty derives its power and excellence from many things. The first, most essential and pivotal of these is that the servant listen attentively with his heart as well as his ears to verses and hadiths relating to God, His Majesty, Perfection, Magnitude, and Grandeur, His Uniqueness in creating and deciding, ruling and compelling; Likewise to the truthfulness and perfection of the Messengers, the miracles they were aided with, and the sundry chastisements which befell those who opposed them. [The Book of Assistance]

Food for Thought:
Gather provision for the inescapable, mankind has an appointment at the Resurrection, will it please you to be with those whose provision is abundant, while yours is amiss?

LESSON OF THE DAY 185

Ayah of the Day:
Say: "Shall I seek for (my) cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Each soul is responsible only for its own self, while no burdened (soul) shall bear another's burden. Soon your return will be unto your Lord, so He may advise you concerning whatever you have been differing over. [6: 164]

Hadith of the Day:
The faith of a person will not be straight and sound until his heart is sound. And his heart will not be straight and sound until his tongue is straight and sound. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If you desire to live such that your religion is safe and your portion is full and your honor is sound, guard your tongue and never mention another's faults remembering that you yourself have faults and others have tongues. [Ahmad Zarruq]

Guidance of the Day:
You should not neglect your time or use it haphazardly; on the contrary, you should bring yourself to account, structure your litanies and other practices during the day and night, and assign to each period a fixed and specific function. This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period. But if you leave yourself adrift, aimlessly wandering as cattle do, not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment, your time will be lost. It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you make use of to reach perpetual felicity in the proximity of God the Exalted.

Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved. Do not be like the deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens. What good is increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter? Therefore, be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children, and friends stay behind. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Wars frequently begin ten years before the first shot is fired. The way to win an atomic war is to make certain it never starts. Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified is not a crime.

LESSON OF THE DAY 184

Ayahs of the Day:
Say: "Verily my Lord has guided me to a way that is straight--a religion that is established, the path (trod) by Abraham the true in faith, and he (certainly) joined no gods with Allah," Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life, and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds. No partner has He, with that I am commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. [6: 161, 162, 163]

Hadith of the Day:
Say, I believe in Allah, and then stand firm and steadfast to that. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The doer of good is better than it is, and the doer of evil is worse than it is. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The company one keeps has major effects. It may lead either to benefit or improvement or to harm and corruption, depending on whether the company is that of pure and eminent people or people who are depraved and evil. This effect does not appear suddenly, but is a gradual process that enfolds with time.

If you wish to know whether those you mix and sit with increase or diminish your faith, religion, and actions, compare your state with regard to good character, praiseworthy intentions, resolution in performing acts of obedience, and goodness before and after their companionship. If you find that these acts have become stronger and more firmly established and that you have become more desirous of and interested in them, then know that this particular company is of benefit to your religion and your heart, and that if you continue with it you will gain even greater benefits and acquire many more good things, God willing.

If, on the other hand, you find that your religion has grown weaker and shakier, know that this company is harmful, that its harm to your religion and your heart is evident, may God protect us. The decisive factor here is whether good or evil is more powerful and predominant. When goodness in that company is more powerful and predominant, then a wicked man who mixes with them may become attracted to goodness and its people, whereas when wickedness prevails and dominates, then it is to be feared that the good people who keep such company may become attracted to wickedness and its people. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Time is the wisest counselor of all, it is the school in which we learn, and the fire in which we burn, we cannot kill time without injuring eternity.

LESSON OF THE DAY 183

Ayahs of the Day:
As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no part in them in the least: Their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did. He who does good shall have ten times as much to his credit; He who does evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: No wrong shall be done to (any of) them. [6: 159, 160]

Hadith of the Day:
Whoever is killed defending his wealth is a martyr. Whoever is killed defending his religion is a martyr. Whoever is killed defending his life is a martyr. Whoever is killed defending his family is a martyr. [Ahmad & Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Treat others just as you would want to be treated and fulfill that which is due to them. [Ahmad al Zarruq]

Guidance of the Day:
The heart's ailments are identified by recognizing the outward signs which indicate their existence. These are numerous, and the most evident are laziness with respect to acts of obedience, sluggishness in good works, greed for the world's pleasures and passions, eagerness for worldly prosperity, yearning to continue to abide in the world for a long time, and other similar attributes of the heedless and of those who turn away from God the Exalted.

When one detects these signs one must strive to treat them. The shortest and most effective way is to search for a learned person who is a Gnostic and a scholar. Should he fail to find one, let him take counsel from a virtuous brother, Should he fail to find such a brother, then he must resort to the books of the leading authorities in such matters, where the diseases and their remedies are described.

The most comprehensive and useful of these books is Ihya' ulum al Din (Revival of the sciences of the Religion) , especially the volume on "Moral Vices." Books are not, however, a substitute for a Gnostic teacher or a virtuous brother; they should be last resort for those unable to find either. God the Exalted helps the seeker according to his determination, sincerity, and aspiration. And God is the Trustee, the Helper. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Time is a coin of your life, it is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent; be careful lest other people spend it for you.

LESSON OF THE DAY 182

Ayah of the Day:
Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or your Lord (Himself). Or certain of the signs of your Lord! The day that certain of the signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. Say: Wait, we too are waiting. [6: 158]

Hadith of the Day:
Allah has more right that one be shy before Him than the people do. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
He whose actions hold him back is not to be promoted on account of his social status. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The ailments of the heart are many: Compromising one's religion to please people, arrogance towards God's creatures, greed, avarice, envy, and rancor, deceiving other Muslims, loving the world and being preoccupied with it, harboring long hopes and forgetting death, thus being heedless of the Afterlife and neglecting to work for it, and so on.

It is incumbent upon any man of intelligence who is zealous for his religion and for his safety in the Hereafter to be eager to learn the ailments hidden in his heart, to strive to identify them, and to begin to treat them before death suddenly overtakes him and he returns to his Lord to meet Him with an unsound heart, lest he be one of the losers and perish along with all those who will perish. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Until we value ourselves; we wont value time, until we value time, we will not do anything worthwhile with it. Time is what we want most, but what we waste most.

LESSON OF THE DAY 181

Ayah of the Day:
Or lest you should say: "If the Book had only been sent down to us, we should have followed its guidance better than they." Now then has come unto you a Clear (sign) from your Lord--and a guide and a mercy; then who could do more wrong than one who rejects Allah's signs, and turns away therefrom? Soon shall We requite those who turn away from Our signs, with a dreadful penalty, for their turning away. [6: 157]

Hadith of the Day:
Hayaa (modesty) and Imaan (faith) are two companions that go together. If one of them is lifted, the other is also lifted. [al Haakim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Guard your secrets even if you feel safe with someone because the one you indulge your secret to is not a safer place than your own heart from where it emanated. [Ahmah al Zarruq]

Guidance of the Day:
The ailments of the heart cannot be perceived by the senses and yield no painful physical symptoms; they are thus hidden and difficult to recognize and study. People have come to pay little heed to them; no longer do they seek to treat and cure them. Such people are, as Imam Ghazali said, "like a man who has no mirror but who is disfigured with leprosy, and who, when informed about his affliction by another person, will probably not believe him."

Furthermore, the heedless perceive as remote the torments and punishments in the Hereafter awaiting those whose hearts are diseased. They may deceive themselves with false hopes and illusions about God, promising themselves that they will be forgiven and saved without having to work for this, and thus arouse in themselves the expectation that they will end up safe and secure. Because of these and similar attitudes, the ailments of the heart remain veiled even though they are overpowering. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars and each moment is a day. Much may be done with those little shreds and patches of time which everyday produces, and which most men throw away.

LESSON OF THE DAY 180

Ayahs of the Day:
And this is a book which We have revealed as a blessing: so follow it and be righteous, that you may receive mercy; Lest you should say: "The Book was sent down to two People before us, and for our part, we remained unacquainted with all that they learned by assiduous study;" [6: 155,156]

Hadith of the Day:
All of my nation are apt to be forgiven except for those who commit sins openly. Included among those who commits sins openly is where a person performs a deed during the night and, although Allah had concealed that sin, in the morning he says, 'O so and so, last night I did such and such.' He spent the night being concealed by Allah and in the morning he uncovered Allah's concealment from himself. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
He who neglects teaching his son or guiding towards what would avail him, and leaves him uselessly, has done him the biggest assault. [Ibn al Qayyim]

Guidance of the Day:
The ailments of the heart are, in many ways and from many different points of view, more harmful, dangerous, repugnant, and hideous than those of the body. Most harmful and dangerous is the fact that the ailments of the heart affect a man's religion (which is his capital for happiness in this world and the next) and that they damage his Hereafter, which is the life of permanence and eternity.

Physical illness, on the other hand, harms a man's worldly life, which is ephemeral and quick to end, and harms his body, which is a target for afflictions and rapid destruction. Furthermore, physical illness may be great gift to one's religion and to one's future life, for God has made great rewards and numerous immediate and delayed benefits as the consequences of illness, as is evident from many Quranic verses and hadiths. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Men talk about killing time, while time is quietly killing them. Let him know who would enjoy a good future, waste none of his present.

LESSON OF THE DAY 179

Ayahs of the Day:
Verily, this is My Way leading straight; follow it; follow not (other) paths; They will scatter you about from His (Great) path; thus does He command you, that you may be righteous. Moreover, We gave Moses the Book, completing (Our favor) to those who would do right, and explaining all things in detail--and a guide and a mercy, that they might believe in the meeting with their Lord. [6: 153,154]

Hadith of the Day:
From the words of the previous prophets that the people still find are: If you feel no shame, then do as you wish. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Never leave an atom's weight of your devotional practice. Never be lenient with yourself in either lax times or times of high resolve. [Ahmad al Zarruq]

Guidance of the Day:
The man who gives his worldly life and his Hereafter equal attention, and has inwardly the same degree of concentration and eagerness and outwardly the same amount of effort and pursuit, is excessively foolish and stupid. What then of the man who gives more attention and effort to his worldly life? And what then of the man who pays no attention at all nor exerts any effort for his life-to-come? We ask God to guard us against this and all other afflictions and dangers and to guard our loved ones and all Muslims!

Those who give their worldly life and their Hereafter equal attention deserve this description because they do not differentiate between that which is better, more permanent, purer, and more spacious, and that which is lowlier, ephemeral, turbid, disturbing, and constricting. They are similar to the one who treats equally diamonds and dung, or pure gold and clay.

It is clearly evident that those who prefer the world to the Hereafter are doubt-ridden skeptics, while those who treat them equally are unintelligent. Only those who prefer the Hereafter are intelligent and resolute believers. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Men have become the tool of their tools. Internet is like flue, it spreads like crazy. Technology is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand and it stabs you in the back with the other.

LESSON OF THE DAY 178

Ayah of the Day:
Do not approach an orphan's estate before he comes of age, except to improve it. Grant full measure and weight in all fairness. We do not assign any person to do more than he can cope with. Whenever you speak, be just eventhough it concerns a close relative. Fulfill the covenant of Allah. Thus does He command you, that you may remember. [6: 152]

Hadith of the Day:
"The mujaahid" (the one who makes jihaad) is the one who struggles against his soul for the sake of Allah. [Ahmad, al Tabraani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Man cannot live without some kind of religion, even those who hold that there is no such thing as religion merely substitute one set of beliefs for another. [Mostafa al Badawi]

Guidance of the Day:
Know that gentleness is required in all things. It is encouraged and approved by both sharia and reason. Things can be achieved through gentleness that cannot even remotely be done through severity and force. Gentleness is the attribute of the wise and the compassionate among those servants of God whom He has selected.

Gentleness is to manage things with subtlety, ease dignity, and deliberation. Gentleness is entirely good, and intelligent men should apply it to all things, especially in dealing with people, first of all with one's family and employees, then with everyone else. It should never be neglected, and it always yields the required results, even if not immediately.

On some rare occasions, however, gentleness may be found ineffective, especially in dealing with certain mean and ignoble natures. To treat such people with gentleness would be harmful to them; they should be treated in an apparently harsh and severe manner, but with the intention of reforming them and correcting their behavior. In this way, one should understand why, on certain occasions and with certain people, great men of God are rigorous. Some people are only shells devoid of reason. If you do not empower them, they will overpower you. [Knowledge and wisdom]

Food for Thought:
The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do. Ours is the age which is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to.

LESSON OF THE DAY 177

Ayah of the Day:
Say: Come I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you: Do not associate anything with Him. And show kindness towards both (your) parents. Do not kill your children because of poverty: We shall provide for you as well as for them. Do not come near to shameful deeds whether open or secret. Do not kill any person whom God has forbidden, except through (due process of) law. Thus does He command you, that you may learn wisdom. [6: 151]

Hadith of the Day:
"The Muhajir (one who makes hijrah) is the one who avoids what Allah has prohibited. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Never belittle any talk that involves absent people even if there is no harm in it due to the possibility of harm entering into it. [Ahmad al zarruq]

Guidance of the Day:
When the people of this world, the distracted, and those who mix (good with evil acts) give their love to the people of the Hereafter (those who possess knowledge and practice it), when they revere them and envy their obedience and attentiveness to God (high and majestic is He), they are doing well and this is a sign of their (ultimate) happiness and success. It may even lead them to emulate those people of virtue, tread their paths, perform the good works they do, and acquire their praiseworthy attributes.

People of religion and the Hereafter must raise their ambition, rise above seeking material security in the world and in its people. When people of religion and the Hereafter behold worldly people eager to accumulate (wealth) and preoccupied with passions, they feel sorry for them and pray that they may be freed and saved from turning away from God that others have fallen prey to, and from their heedlessness of the Hereafter, which is their ultimate return and their appointed time. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Before we work on artificial intelligence why don't we do something about natural stupidity. We have arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology

LESSON OF THE DAY 176

Ayahs of the Day:
If they accuse you of falsehood, say: your Lord is full of Mercy, all Embracing;" But His might will not be withheld from the criminals. Those who give partners (to Allah) will say: "If Allah had so wished, neither we nor our forefathers would have associated (anything with Him) nor have forbidden anything." Even so did those before them reject (Us) until they tasted our might. Say: "Have you any (certain) knowledge?If so, produce it before Us. You follow nothing but conjecture; you do nothing but lie." [6: 147,148]

Hadith of the Day:
The greatness of the reward goes with the greatness of the trial. Verily, if Allah loves a people, he tries them. Whoever is pleased, shall have (Allah's) pleasure. And whoever is angered shall have (Allah's) anger. [Tirmidhi, ibn Maajah]

Wise Quote of the Day of the Day:
When little kindnesses come your way, do not repel them by ingratitude. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
There are opposites in this world: light and darkness, good and evil, beneficence and corruption, benefit and harm, and many others. People whose powers of discernment are weak may observe this and wonder, then perhaps imagine, that had the world been made exclusively of light, goodness and beneficence, it would have been better. This way of thinking is nothing but ignorance, (rational) inadequacy, and unawareness.

Know that the existence of the world as it is, with its multitude of opposing and contrasting things, is most complete and excellent and could not have been better or more wisely made, considering the reason behind it and what it was created for.

Know that the existence of the world as it is contains many signs indicating the names of God the Exalted and His attributes. This is possible only when the world is as it is. There are also signs referring to other-worldly matters, which is only possible with the world being as it is . There are also signs concerning this world which is again possible only because it is as it is. This is because light can be known only by the presence of its opposite, good can be known only by the presence of evil, and this goes to virtue and corruption, benefit and harm, health and sickness, and so on. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
The recipe to success is trying to please God alone all the time, the recipe to failure is trying to please everyone.

LESSON OF THE DAY 175

Ayahs of the Day:
All that has been promised unto you will come to pass, nor can you frustrate it (in the least bit). Say: "O my people! Do whatever you can; I will do (my part); Soon will you know who it is whose end will be (best) in the Hereafter; It is certain that the wrong doers will not prosper. [6: 134,135]

Hadith of the Day:
The affair of the believer is amazing in that it is always good for him and this is true only for a believer. If something joyful comes to him, he gives thanks and that it is good for him. If something harmful comes to him, he is patient and that is good for him. [Muslin]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Keep not the company of someone whose state does not awaken you and whose words do not direct you to Allah. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the Day:

Whatever acts of goodness you are able to do, you must do. should you have to choose, then choose the better and more perfect one. With regard to what you are unable to do, you should have a sincere intention to do it whenever it becomes possible.

Some good things carry no risks whether at their beginnings or ends, for example, acquiring beneficial knowledge, multiplying supererogatory devotions, such as Prayers and Fasts, and similar things. These you must strive for and diligently seek in any manner you can.

Other good things carry risks and one fears for those who are exposed to them lest they fall into certain kinds of evil and prohibited things. Examples of these are positions of power and positions of wealth. These should be avoided and not chased by men of intelligence and wisdom, for if chased until obtained, they may destroy them, as has happened to many people who exposed themselves to such dangers and then lost both their religion and their worldly goods and fell into a state which brought upon them the wrath of their Lord.

It is sufficient for you as far as these things are concerned, to have between yourself and God the Exalted the intention that if you ever become established in such a position, you will agree only to assume it only for His sake and will behave according to his good pleasure, and do in a way that brings you nearer to Him. Then through these good intentions, you will receive as much divine reward as those who are actually in such positions, but you will remain safe from the risks and tests. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
You can effect the world by what you browse. Technology is so much fun but we can drown in our technology. The fog of information can drive out knowledge. Every body gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.

LESSON OF THE DAY 174

Ayahs of the Day:
To all are degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds; for your Lord is not unaware of what they do. Your Lord is self sufficient, full of Mercy; if it were His Will He could destroy you, and in your place appoint whom He will as your successors, even as He raised you up from posterity of other people. [6:132,133]

Hadith of the Day:
The one who is pleased to have Allah respond to him during hardships and difficulties should increase his supplications during times of ease. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The biggest failures are those who have failed to win friends, but even bigger failures are those who lose what friends they have made. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Whenever you hear of a praiseworthy or meritorious activity and find that you cannot do it, either because it is physically impossible for you or because you are engaged in other activities that are more important to you, then you must have the intention to do it the moment it becomes possible or you have the time. This good intention of yours joins you to those who actually do it, for "the intention of the believer is better than his act," and he may achieve through (good intention) what he cannot achieve by action.

You may hear, for instance, of the merits of jihad, when it is effectively beyond your reach; or of merits of charity and feeding the poor, which you may be unable to do because of your own poverty; or of the merits of establishing justice, truth, enjoining good, and forbidding evil, which may be practically impossible for you because you possess no power and no jurisdiction over such matters. You must have the intention that if those acts were to become possible, you would perform them.

Meanwhile, do whatever you can and help the people responsible for those things by whatever means lie within your power, even if only by praying for them and exhorting them to be thorough in their work. You may thus gain as much in the way of recompense as they do, for the Prophet, said, may peace and blessings be on him, "One who shows the way to an act of goodness is equal to the one who does it." Also, "One who exhorts (people) to right guidance has a reward equal to that of all those who follow him without this diminishing their reward in any way." [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons. Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.

LESSON OF THE DAY 173

Ayahs of the Day:
O you assembly of jinn and mankind! "Did not there come to you messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." It was the life of this world that deceived them. and they will bear witness against themselves that they rejected faith. (The messengers were sent) thus, for your Lord would not destroy, for their wrong doing men's habitations while their occupants were unwarned. [6: 130,131]

Hadith of the Day:
Everything has a reality to it. The servant does not reach the reality of faith until he knows that what reached him was not going to miss him and what missed him was not going to reach him. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The Devil does not really care what you are doing as long as it is either sinful or at the very least wasteful. He will thus whisper one suggestion after the other until one of them is accepted and acted upon. [Mustafa al Badawi]

Guidance of the Day:
If you wish to know which sciences and acts are the most important and beneficial for you, imagine that you were to die the next day and return to God to stand before Him and be asked to account for your knowledge, behavior, and all your affairs and states, subsequently taken to either the Garden or the Fire. what you see there as most important and useful to you is precisely what you must now give priority and attachment to; whereas what you find useless, unimportant, frivolous, or simply of no great necessity is what you must neither pursue nor occupy yourself with in this life.

Meditate on this matter and reflect well; it is of tremendous benefit to those who have discernment and are concerned about their appointed time, their return to God, their salvation, and their success in the Hereafter, which is better and more enduring (Quran,87:17) [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic and self complacent is erroneous; on the other hand it makes them, for the most part humble, tolerant and kind.

LESSON OF THE DAY 172

Ayahs of the Day:
One day He will gather them all together, (and say): "O you assembly of jinns! Much (toll) did you take of men." Their friends amongst men will say: "Our Lord! we made profit from each other: but (alas!) we reached our term which you did appoint for us." He will say: "The Fire be your dwelling place; You will dwell therein forever, except as Allah wills. For your Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. Thus do we make the wrongdoers turn to each other, because of what they earn. [6: 128,129]

Hadith of the Day:
A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer--however, there is goodness in every (believer). Be eager for (and strive after) what benefits you and seek help in Allah. And do not be too weak or lazy to do so. [Muslim]

(Al Nawawi notes that the meaning of "strong" in this hadith is, "of strong resolve, one whose mind is intent on the affairs of the Hereafter.")

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whoever is full of greed debases himself, whoever reveals his distress accepts humiliation, and whoever lets his tongue rule him becomes despicable in his own eyes. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
Life is short, time is precious, death is near, and the distance to travel great, while the moment of standing before God to account for everything, however seemingly insignificant, is daunting and difficult. Observe in everyday life how a given person is preoccupied with what he considers most important and beneficial to himself--while he hardly ever thinks about what preoccupies others.

If this is what people do in their daily lives, how can they avoid doing the same for matters concerning the Hereafter? Although a person who gives priority in the world to the affairs of others over his own may be praised for it, this is not so in religious matters, when the opposite is the case. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Success is dependent on effort. No man succeeds without a good woman behind him. Wife or mother, if it is both, he is twice blessed indeed.

LESSON OF THE DAY 171

Ayahs of the Day:
This is the way of your lord leading straight; We have detailed the Signs for those who receive admonition. For them will be a Home of Peace in the presence of their Lord. He will be their friend, because they practiced (righteousness). [6:126,127]

Hadith of the Day:
It is better for one of you to bring a load of firewood on his back and sell it, than to ask another who might give him or refuse to give him. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
When a person becomes angry he is more attuned to the nature of the lower worlds, for both anger and the Devil are fire, so the angry person is more receptive to the Devil's suggestions than the calm person. [Mustafa al Badawi]

Guidance of the Day:
A person of taqwa and excellent conduct, when healthy and whole, will be thankful and eager to please God the Exalted and to use his health and strength in obeying Him. He will receive His good pleasure and be honored. People will praise him for his good works, determination and earnestness in obedience.

When sickness and poor health befall him, he will accept it, be patient, submit to God's will, be content with it, and refrain from impatience, anger, and complaining to others. He will receive God's good pleasure, solicitude, and assistance, and will be strengthened with relief, tranquility, and the like. People will praise him and say that God the Exalted allowed this illness to afflict him in order to remit his sins, increase his good deeds, and raise his rank.

An ill-behaved corrupt person, when healthy, is ungrateful. He transgresses, neglects obedience, and is eager to use his strength and energy in rebellious and sinful ways. When he becomes ill or is afflicted in any other way, he turns angry, anxious, and impatient; he is annoyed with God's decrees and exhibits other blameworthy traits.

According to this pattern, it behooves you to observe and think about such things as honor and abasement, obscurity and renown, distress and affluence, and all other conditions which may alternate in people's lives. You will know that the fear of God and excellence of behavior render any of these conditions beautiful, good, and upright, whereas corruption and evil conduct render them ugly and degrading. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Defeat is not the worst of failure, not to have tried is the true failure. The person who has done his level best is a success, eventhough the world may write him down a failure.

LESSON OF THE DAY 170

Ayah of the Day:
Those whom Allah wills to guide--He opens their breast to Islam; Those whom He wills to leave straying--He makes their breasts close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus does Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe. [6: 125]

Hadith of the Day:
And no one guards his ablution except a (true) believer. [Ahmad]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Whoever is frequent in remembering death is content with but a little of this world, and whoever counts his speech from his actions speaks little except in that which benefits him. [ Omar bin Abdul Aziz]

Guidance of the Day:
A person of good conduct, to whom God the Exalted gives wealth and affluence, will be thankful and appreciative of His bounty. He will use it in obedience, spend it in goodly ways, and help the near and the far. He will receive God's pleasure and love, and be reinforced with more affluence and ease. People will praise him for his good works. and pray for an increase in affluence and ease for him.

On the other hand, an ill-behaved corrupt person who has money and affluence will be constantly engaged in accumulating and keeping his wealth avariciously to himself; he will be lacking in scruples and show extreme greed and similar terrible attributes; he will encounter God's wrath and displeasure; people will censure him for abstaining from good works and for lacking loyalty, justice, and other wholesome traits. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Success is that old ABC--ability,breaks, and courage. Pray that success does not come any faster than you are able to endure it.

LESSON OF THE DAY 169

Ayahs of the Day:
Is someone who has been dead and whom We revived and granted light to, so he may walk among people with it, to be compared to someone who is in such darkness he cannot leave it? Thus anything they have been doing seems attractive to disbelievers.Thus We have placed leaders in every town, who are its criminals, to plot therein; But they only plot against their own souls, and they do not perceive it. [6: 122,123]

Hadith of the Day:
Be mindful of Allah, you will find Him in front of you. Be beloved to Allah during times of prosperity, He will know you in times of adversity. Know that what has passed you by was never to befall you. And what has befallen you was never to have passed you by. And Know that victory accompanies perseverance, relief accompanies affliction, and ease accompanies hardship. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Actions are but lifeless forms, and their life is the sincerity within them. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the Day:
When a person of taqwa and good conduct is stricken with poverty, his state with God will be that of acceptance. He will be content, patient, scrupulous, independent of others, and show many other noble attributes. His share of God's graces will be to receive His good pleasure, nearness, reinforcement with patience and assistance, and other divine graces. In his dealings with people he will keep his situation concealed and appear fine.

The same poverty, when it falls an ill-behaved and corrupt person, will insult in anguish, anger, envy, and covetousness. What he receives from God will be wrath and aversion, and there will be no assistance with patience and strength. He will be despised among people for his neediness and be censured for making bad choices and for the fact that he is unable to cater his needs while maintaining his honesty. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Success is simple, do what's right, the right way, at the right time. Always remember that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. There is nothing to fear but the fear itself.

LESSON OF THE DAY 168

Ayahs of the Day:
Leave all sin, open or secret: Those who earn sin will get due recompense for their "earnings." Do not eat of (meats) on which Allah's name has not been pronounced; that would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to argue with you. if you were to obey them, you would become associators (of others in your worship of God Alone). [6: 120, 121]

Hadith of the Day:
Know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you. If they gather to harm you by something, they would not be able to harm you by anything except what Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Since it is a Divine rule that people are mostly governed by the rulers they deserve, their being in a certain manner, mirror images of their society, the worst will be governed by the worst. [Mustafa al Badawi]

Guidance of the Day:
Knowledge, used appropriately becomes wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to place everything in its precisely appropriate location, in the precisely appropriate manner, at the precisely appropriate time. It is also the ability to put first things first. Wisdom is thus the highest mode of operation of the human mind.

There can be no relaxation at all in this world for a believer endowed with reason. Whenever he finds such relaxation, this is always accompanied by heedlessness of his Lord and his appointed time of death. God the Exalted, created the world for the believer as the means to an end, namely provision for the Hereafter and obedience to his Lord. [Knowledge and Wisdom]

Food for Thought:
Formula for success; rise early, work hard. Sweat plus sacrifice equals success. There is no point at which you can say "Well I am successful now, I might as well take a nap."

LESSON OF THE DAY 167

Ayahs of the Day:
And if you follow most of those who are on the earth, they would lead you astray from God's path; they only follow conjecture and are merely guessing. Your Lord is quite Aware as to who is straying from His path, just as He is quite Aware as to who are guided. [6: 116,117]

Hadith of the Day:
Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah. If you seek help, seek help in Allah. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Travel to Allah is done through three things: high aspiration (himmah), returning to Allah in obedience, and relying and taking refuge in Him all the time. [Ibn Ataillah]

Guidance of the Day:
Regardless of whose fault it is, when a dispute occurs, you will always share its blame to a certain extent. This being the case, you should rise to the occasion and apologize for that which is of your own doing. Consequently the one with whom you are disputing will soften his attitude towards you. You should always have a positive attitude towards others, keep a good opinion regarding others. A misunderstanding should be clarified by discussing it as soon as possible.

Establish an attitude of selflessness and sacrifice. To sacrifice one's opinion is indeed a tremendous sacrifice. Save yourself from stubbornness and obstinacy, suppress your anger, adopt a manner which always seeks reconciliation. Pray for your friends, family and those with whom you have disputes. Satan struggles tirelessly to create disputes between Muslims. Truly the greatest success for him is to be able to create disputes and make the Ummah fight with each other over any excuse.

Remember that non-Muslims cannot overcome Muslims under any circumstance, thus we are made to fight each other. Leave behind obedience to Satan and attain firmness in the virtues of admitting one's faults, asking forgiveness and forgiving. In an argument the best weapon to hold is the tongue. Above and beyond this, strive to make peace between two Muslims, for this is a tremendous act of worship indeed. [The journey to success on the road of life]

Food for Thought:
Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failures are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time.

LESSON OF THE DAY 166

Ayah of the Day:
And insult not those whom they worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; In the end will they return to their Lord, and We shall then inform them of all that they used to do. [6: 108]

Hadith of the Day:
Whatever causes the blood to flow and has had Allah's name mentioned (upon it), you may eat. [Bukhari]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Spiritual courage is to wage war against one's egotism and to resist one's appetites. Moral courage is to speak the truth even when bitter, to be a witness for the truth even against oneself or one's kin, and to enjoin good and forbid evil against opposition. [Mustafa al Badawi]

Guidance of the Day:
Disputes, in whatever manner they appear, should be resolved immediately. Human life being what it is, there is no guarantee as to who will be carried into the grave first. At the occasion of death friends and enemies all gather to mourn anyway.

It is best that one's heart is cleansed of all grudges regarding all Muslims. Soothe the angry heart of others and see how tranquil life becomes. The weightiness in one's heart is removed. Always act towards amending relationships, as a result one will attain barakah in one's time and position.

The primary act which ends disputes is admitting one's faults. If it is your fault then admit it and take account of your faults. It is essential to recognize the excesses one has taken to transgress upon others. Ultimately, the greatest reality of life is the recognition of one's faults. The secret to all forms of betterment in life lies in this recognition, because man always errs, if he does not recognize his faults, then there is no other recourse for his betterment.

Recognition is the door to all successes, but seldom is that man will subject himself to it, when such an occasion arises it becomes a matter of ego. Instead of admitting his fault, he attempts to cover it. The result is that this fault of his continues to grow unchecked. [The journey to success on the road of life]

Food for Thought:
Don't confuse fame with success. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence is the quality that most frequently makes for success.

LESSON OF THE DAY 165

Ayahs of the Day:
No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. He is above all comprehension, He is the Subtle, the Informed. Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whoever sees, will do for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm and I am not (here) to watch over your doings. [6:103,104]

Hadith of the Day:
The marriage that produces the most blessing is that which involves the least burden. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
He who chose a path contrary to the Prophet's (Peace be Upon Him) shall never reach the destination. The earth of purity can only be trodden in the footsteps of the chosen Prophet (peace be upon him). [Shaikh al Sa'adi]

Guidance of the Day:
The true believer likes to remain unknown and hidden, and dislikes prominence and fame. He does not talk of what does not concern him, and his heart is saddened by his short comings. He accepts no compromise in religious matters and does not please people by displeasing the Lord of the Worlds.

He is engaged in acts of goodness or acquiring knowledge. He is a person from whom people expect goodness and do not fear evil. He does not repay harm with harm, and does not shun those who shun him. he is like a palm tree, throwing tender dates at the one who throws stones at it, like soil on which filth is thrown, but out of which grow beautiful things.

The light of his truthfulness shows outwardly, and what is shown on his face indicates what is hidden inwardly. He strives and aspires to please his Lord, and is eager and careful to follow His Messenger. [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
Success is a talent put together with hardwork and luck. The toughest thing about success is that you have got to keep on being a success. Nothing recedes like success.

LESSON OF THE DAY 164

Ayahs of the Day:
To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth; How can He have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He has full knowledge of all things. That is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of all things; then serve Him; and He has power to dispose all affairs. [6: 101,102]

Hadith of the Day:
The strongest tie of imaan (bond of faith) is having loyalty for the sake of Allah, disassociating from others for the sake of Allah, love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah. [al Hakim, al Tabrani]

Wise Quote of the Day:
To say that the work must be postponed until one is free, is but the idleness of the soul. [Ibn Ata illah]

Guidance of the Day:
The believer is honest and trustworthy. He neither lies nor betrays, and is neither a miser nor a coward. He neither insults nor curses, is not concerned with what is not his share, and is not parsimonious with what he has. What is within him is good, so are his intentions, and there is no evil in him.

He is very resolute in drawing nearer to his Lord, disdainful of this world, and does not repeat his errors. Whether he acts or refrains is not due to his appetites. Loyalty and chivalry are his companions, modesty and manliness his allies. He exacts everyone's rights from himself, but never seeks to exact his rights from anyone. When he is given, he thanks, when withheld, he is patient. When he commits an injustice, he repents and asks for forgiveness. When an injustice is committed against him, he forgives and pardons. [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?

LESSON OF THE DAY 163

Ayahs of the Day:
It is He Who makes the stars (as beacons) for you, that you may guide yourselves, with their help, through the dark spaces of land and sea; We detail Our Signs for people who know. It is He Who has produced you from a single soul, and (granted you) a settlement (on earth) and a resting place (after death). We have spelled out Our Signs for people who understand! [6: 97,98]

Hadith of the Day:
You must adhere to honesty, for honesty leads to righteousness. And verily, righteousness leads to Paradise. A person continues being honest and seeking honesty until he is recorded with Allah as an honest person. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
If what you desire from this world is what should suffice you, a little should suffice you; but if you desire more than your sufficiency, the entire world will not suffice you. Control your egos by abandoning what the world contains, for you have entered it naked and naked you will leave it. [Imam Ghazali]

Guidance of the Day:
The way to having presence of heart in prayer is to realize that presence of heart with Allah is something sought every moment of one's life, and that the means to it is dhikr as much as one possibly can, not to churn up the reward alone, but in order to be thankful of Allah, to attain closeness to Allah, and to fulfill the duties of slavehood to Allah Most High.

Avoiding the harm outwardly and inwardly are keys to presence of heart with Allah. Also don't just jump into prayer, focus your heart before for a moment, and then start. Before starting make a quick heartfelt dua that Allah grant you love, thankfulness and sincerity.

The Sunnah prayers after the obligatory prayers were legislated to make up for the deficiency in the obligatory prayer, and the Sunnah prayers before the obligatory prayers are to cut the devil from his greed, as if saying, he did not leave out what is not obligatory on him, so how can he leave what is obligatory.

Food for Thought:
One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity. Action is the fundamental key to all success.

LESSON OF THE DAY 162

Ayah of the Day:
It is He Who sends water from the sky. Thus We bring forth plants of every type with it; We produce vegetation of all kinds: from some We produce green (crops), out of which We produce grain, Heaped up (at harvest); out of the date palm, clusters close at hand produced from its pollen, as well as orchards full of grapes, olives and pomegranates, Each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety): Look at their fruit as He causes it to grow and ripen. In that are signs for folk who believe. [6: 99]

Hadith of the Day:
You must refrain from lying for lying leads to wickedness. And verily, wickedness leads to Fire. A person continues lying and seeking falsehood until he is recorded with Allah as a liar. [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
This world is a bridge so cross it; do not build on it! The love of this world and that of the Hereafter cannot be united in the believing heart, just as water and fire cannot be united in a single vessel. [Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him).

Guidance of the Day:
A believer is one who observes limits, keeps his promises, is content with what he has, is patient when deprived, is thankful in prosperity, patiently endures afflictions and bitter decrees, praises his Lord in ease and in hardship, and remains true to Him in private and public.

A believer is one who is not enslaved by other than God, nor by events; he is one who is neither vanquished by appetites nor dominated by habits. His words are invocation and wisdom, his silence reflection and heeding examples. His actions precede his words and are proof of his knowledge.

His inner garment is reverence and gravity, his cloak humility and modesty. He follows truth and prefers it, and rejects falsehood and denounces it. He loves the best of people and is not their enemy. Dealing with him proves him better than his reputation. He helps others abundantly, but his own demands are slight. He is far from frivolousness. [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

LESSON OF THE DAY 161

Ayahs of the Day:
It is Allah Who causes the grain and the date stone to split and sprout. He causes the living to issue from the dead, and He is the One to cause the dead to issue from the living. That is Allah: then how are you deluded away from the truth? He it is that cleaves the daybreak (from the dark): He makes the night for rest and tranquility, and the sun and moon for the reckoning (of time): Such is the judgment and ordering of Him, the Exalted in Power, the Omniscient. [6: 95,96]

Hadith of the Day:
The person who guides to what is good shall have the same reward as the one who performs that (good). [Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Let your gazing at this world be a lesson, your renunciation of it a choice, and your taking from it a necessity. [Yahya ibn Mu'adh]

Guidance of the Day:
Remove from your heart the fear of poverty and the expectation that one day you may need people. Beware of directing your whole attention to such matters. Trust in your Lord's promise and His providing for you. He says, Exalted is He, Nothing walks the earth but that God provides for it (Quran, 11:16). And you are one of those who walk the earth, so occupy yourself with what He has commanded you rather than with what He has already guaranteed for you, for your Lord never forgets you.

He has informed you that provision is with Him and commanded you to seek it from Him by acts of worship. He has said, Exalted is He, Seek provision from God, and worship Him, and be thankful to him. To Him shall you return (Quran, 29:17). Do you not see how He provides for those who reject Him and worship other than Him? Will He not provide for the believers who worship Him alone? When He provides for those who sin and disobey, will He not provide for the obedient ones who remember and thank Him in abundance? [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.

LESSON OF THE DAY 160

Ayah of the Day:
"And behold! you have come to Us bare and alone as We created you for the first time. You have left behind you all (the favors) which We bestowed on you; We do not see with you intercessors whom you thought to be partners in your affairs; so now all relations between you have been cut off, and what you have been claiming has merely led you astray! " [6: 94]

Hadith of the Day:
"Shall I not inform you of a deed which is more virtuous than fasting, prayer and giving in charity?" They said, "Certainly, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." He said, "It is that you make things right between people. Spoiling the relations between people is the cutter [that destroys]." [Abu Dawood]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Had the world been made of perishable gold and the Hereafter of permanent clay, we should have preferred permanent clay to perishable gold. What, then, when the world is ephemeral clay and the Hereafter permanent gold. [Al Fudayl ibn Iyad]

Guidance of the Day:
Strive to purify your heart both from the fear of people and from putting your hopes in them, for this would make you remain silent when faced with falsehood, compromise your religion, and neglect enjoining good forbidding evil. This would be ample humiliation. A believer is strong by his Lord; He feels no fear nor hope except with regard to Him.

Think well of your Lord. Think that He will help you fulfill your needs, guard and protect you, and entrust you neither to creation nor to yourself. He has informed us that He is as good to His servant as His servant thinks Him to be. [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of values.

LESSON OF THE DAY 159

Ayahs of the Day:
And this is a Book which has been sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the revelations) which came before it; that you may warn the Mother of the Towns and anyone around her. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in this (Book), and they are constant in guarding their Prayers. [6: 92]

Hadith of the Day:
A believer never has his fill of good deeds until he ends up in Paradise. [Tirmidhi]

Wise Quote of the Day:
When love of this world enters the heart, fear of the Hereafter exits from it. Beware of worldly distractions, for no servant opens a door of this world without several doors of works for the Hereafter shut before him. [Al Hasan al Basri]

Guidance of the Day:
The provision is divided and allotted by Divine decree. Some servants are given large share, some small. This is the wisdom of God. If, O believer, you are one whose share is small, have patience and be content. Be pleased with what God has allotted you. If you are one of those who've received a large share, take what you need and spend the rest in ways of goodness and benevolence.

Beware of long hopes, for they sway you toward the love of this world and make it difficult for you to persevere in obedience. Be intent on worship or devote yourself to the path of the Hereafter. From the realization of the nearness of death and brevity of times comes all good. Seek this, may God grant you and us success, Ameen!

Food for Thought:
Society is composed of two great classes, those who have more dinners than appetite and those who have more appetite than dinners.

LESSON OF THE DAY 158

Ayahs of the Day:
Those are the ones to whom We have given the Book, along with discretion and prophethood; If these (their descendants) should disbelieve in it, then We will entrust it to a folk who will not disbelieve in it. Such are the ones whom Allah has guided, so copy their guidance. Say: "I do not ask you any reward for it, it is only a Reminder to (everybody in) the universe. [6:89,90]

Hadith of the Day:

There is no jealousy except with respect to two people: A person whom Allah has given wealth and he uses it for the sake of the Truth and a person whom Allah has given wisdom and he decides by it and acts accordingly. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Wise Quote of the Day:
The likeness of this world and the Hereafter is that of the east and the west; the nearer you draw to the one, the farther you move from the other. They are like two wives, when you please the one, you anger the other. And they are like two vessels, one empty and the other full; when you pour into the empty one, the other diminishes accordingly. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

Guidance of the Day:
The one who makes gracious patience the foundation of all his affairs attains to every goodness, reaches every hope that he hopes for, and wins all that he needs.

To begin with, the soul is "inciting," it exhorts to evil and forbids good. When one resists its commands and patiently endures what comes from contradicting its whims, it becomes a "reproachful" soul. The reproachful soul is changeful because it has two faces, one "serene" and the other "inciting." It can be this on one occasion, and that on another. If one then gently guides and leads it by the reins of desire for what God has in store, it becomes serene, enjoining good and finding its pleasure and comfort in it, and forbidding evil and being repelled and fleeing from it. [Mutual Reminding--Good Manners]

Food for Thought:
The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Our's is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.